Food processing systems may employ various devices for preparing food products. For instance, injectors may be used for introducing solutions such as marinades, brines, and other additives into the food products, such as meat. A macerator may be used to tenderize the meat before or after the meat is injected with a solution.
A prior art food processing system having an injector and a macerator for processing meat or other food products is described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 8,764,523, issued on Jul. 1, 2014, entitled “Macerator Having Automated Roller Spacing Control,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No. 8,764,523 discloses a macerator 14 having a tenderizing mechanism 44 defined by first and second rollers 50 and 52, each having a plurality of knife blades 56 disposed around a shaft 54 for cutting into the food product (see FIG. 2). In an alternative configuration, the macerator includes at least one press roller 300 having an outer surface 302 with a plurality of ridges 304 that are adapted to compress and tenderize the food products (see FIG. 13).
Certain cuts of meat or other food products require a more aggressive tenderizing action for breaking down the collagen fibers in the product and for distributing the solution or other ingredients into the meat, rather than merely cutting into the meat or providing a constant force on the meat. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved mechanism for tenderizing food products.